Speaker Kevin McCarthy received a show of confidence from House Republicans on Wednesday as the chamber voted to advance his debt-limit plan on a party-line vote and give him leverage in possible negotiations with the White House.
In the 219-to-210 vote, nearly every House Republican voted to begin debate on legislation to raise the debt limit by $1.5 trillion until May 2024 in exchange for slashing spending by $4.8 trillion. Three Republicans and three Democrats did not vote.
Final passage of the bill is expected later this week, and could come as soon as Wednesday night.
“House Republicans are going to pass this debt limit,” said House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, Minnesota Republican. “We are also going to show that House Republicans under Kevin McCarthy are the ones continuing to lead.”
The procedural vote presents a win for Mr. McCarthy. The Californian is staking his credibility as House speaker on the legislation, which even GOP leaders admit is only an opening offer to kick-start debt limit talks with President Biden as the government faces a default deadline in early summer.
“Here’s our opening offer,” said House Rules Committee Chair Tom Cole, Oklahoma Republican. “We don’t have one from the president. We have a Democratic Senate that can’t produce one. So, we’re going to put the ball over and see what you guys are actually going to do with it.”
GOP leaders relied heavily on that argument to convince moderate Republicans on the fence. In private conversations, Mr. McCarthy’s lieutenants sold the debt limit bill as something GOP lawmakers could back without having to worry about it becoming law.
Republican leaders can afford to lose only four GOP lawmakers.
The Republican bill would cut federal spending by $130 billion for the upcoming fiscal year and limit budget growth to 1% annually over the next decade. It also would rescind at least $90.5 billion in unspent pandemic relief and $200 billion in green energy tax credits passed by Democrats last year.
Republicans also aim to cancel Mr. Biden’s student loan forgiveness program, which the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates will save $315 billion over the next decade.
Beyond cutting spending, the bill overhauls the nation’s energy-permitting laws, imposes work requirements on social welfare programs, and requires congressional approval for any new regulations with an economic impact of more than $100 million per year.
“Anything that passes now will get watered down in negotiations with the White House and the Democrat-run Senate,” said a moderate House Republican lawmaker. “This vote was largely about ensuring Kevin [McCarthy] had a united front behind him when he stares down the president at the negotiating table.”
Mr. McCarthy got that united front by offering a last-minute compromise on the debt limit bill to both the moderate and conservative factions of his GOP majority.
For the conservatives, Mr. McCarthy agreed to expedite the phase-in of work requirements for Medicaid, food stamps, and direct cash payments to needy families. Originally, a requirement that individuals work at least 20 hours per week to get benefits was set to begin in 2025; now it will begin next year.
The hardline 40-member House Freedom Caucus and its allies not only wanted the requirements to kick-in in 2024, but they also sought to expand them to 30 hours per week.
Mr. McCarthy acquiesced to the demands partially, agreeing to have work requirements begin earlier. The broader push to expand work requirements to 30 hours per week was rejected amid opposition from moderate Republicans representing districts that Mr. Biden won in 2020.
Apart from work requirements, Republicans were also divided on repealing the green energy tax credits that Democrats passed last year as part of Mr. Biden’s $739 billion climate law.
Republicans from the Midwest, in particular, were conflicted about gutting the credits for ethanol, as they benefit farmers. Mr. McCarthy agreed to keep some of the green energy and biofuel subsidies in place, including for companies that already had locked-in projects.
“I will always stand with the farmers who feed America,” said Rep. Derrick Van Orden, Wisconsin Republican who had expressed reservations about gutting the tax credits. “That is a win for Wisconsin and America.”
Several other high-profile holdouts voted to advance the bill, despite raising objections only hours before.
GOP Reps. Matt Gaetz of Florida and George Santos of New York said they were convinced to vote to begin debate after the work requirements provisions were strengthened. Rep. Nancy Mace, South Carolina Republican, similarly voted to advance despite initial opposition.
“I feel heard by the speaker and I will support the debt ceiling bill [Wednesday],” said Ms. Mace.
Not everyone was sold, however. GOP Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee voted to advance the bill, but said he is opposed to raising the debt ceiling on principle.
Mr. Biden has said he will veto the measure if it reaches his desk. The president has refused to negotiate with House Republicans on raising the debt limit, saying both Democrats and Republicans helped create the more than $31 trillion national debt.
“This is a ransom note,” said Rep. Tim McGovern, Massachusetts Democrat. “They say that in order for us to pay our bills for one year, we have to make 10 years of deep cuts that will hurt our constituents.”
• Haris Alic can be reached at halic@washingtontimes.com.
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